My pregnancy: 2 trimesters down, one to go

I’m on the home stretch and apparently it’s a little downhill from here.

I’ve hit the third trimester of my pregnancy, making me 24 weeks and I wanted to open up and share with you just what it’s been like from hormones to emotions and food cravings.

The first trimester

The first three months were super exciting but super awful at the same time.

After glamorously peeing on a stick and seeing the required number of lines to confirm pregnancy (yay), then getting confirmation from the doctor (more yay), it's a little downhill from there.

I was nauseous every waking minute of everyday for the first few months. I couldn’t stomach liquids which meant no soothing cups of tea and even cereal had to be replaced with toast or porridge because milk did not go down well.

It's like I was carb loading for a big race.

I was also extra hungry which I blamed on hormones but thankfully there were no weird cravings.

Hormones also copped the blame for me being so tired. I napped almost every afternoon and my skin had a few breakouts. I was incredibly emotional, tearing up at things that would never have registered on my cry meter before.

The thing I struggled with most was not being able to tell people. You want to reach that safe, all clear period of three months before the big reveal.

To combat this, I (rationally) avoided many social situations. You can keep a secret if you don't see anyone.

I had to more carefully pick my wardrobe to hide the growing bump, plus what I ate and the beauty products I used.

Soft cheese is a no go if you're pregnant as are soft poached eggs, anything raw and pre-made salads. Something that has been sitting in the open for a while is not ideal.

As for beauty products, Vitamin A (retinol) is a no go and it's best to check with a doctor or dermal clinician to find out what you can and can't use. That goes for beauty treatments too.

Now I don’t want to turn anyone off having a baby as I gush about the sickness and all the things you can't do, so let’s move on to the second trimester when things got better.

The second trimester

As soon as three months ticked over, it was like a miraculous flick of the switch.

My energy levels returned to normal, I actually felt like exercising rather than dragging myself to the gym or for a walk and my emotions settled down – a little bit.

I could tolerate more foods too.

What was most exciting was the big reveal. My husband and I didn’t want to do the traditional bump pic so we went with this.

After that it was all fairly uneventful – and still no weird cravings!

I embraced feeling good, having long overdue catch ups with friends and watching the belly grow. I started lathering up with bio oil to prevent stretch marks.

Finding something to wear everyday became difficult. There are a lot of expenses with having a baby like cots and prams and stocking up on nappies so buying clothes I’ll only wear for a few months wasn’t something I was overly keen on.

I went with a few t-shirts (some one size up), a pair of jeans with a stretchy waistband (they’re not actually maternity jeans), some loose fitting dresses and a couple of stretchy ones to cater for a growing bump. Decjuba is great for non-traditional maternity staples as is H&M so you don’t have to fork out the big bucks.

At around five months I started to feel some kicking and moving. Some say it’s like when you get butterflies but for me it was more of a thump - perhaps there’s a future kickboxer in there. Sometimes I can actually see the movement which is super weird.

So what now? There’ll be a baby moon in Perth over the Christmas holidays and I’ll plan our baby party. It won’t be a girls only affair because I want my husband and all our friends there to have a fun get together. Then we set up the nursery and wait.

Stay tuned for future blog posts including one on beauty products you can use when pregnant and treatments you’re able to indulge in.